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The Jedi were real? This article is part of the history of Clan Plagueis and isn't part of current events.
Please do not remove this tag or the contents. These articles exist for historic purposes.
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Formed in 34 ABY by Quaestor Kal di Plagia Vorrac as an unofficial position, the Taskmaster(or Taskmistress, should they be so inclined) of Plagueis serves the important function of training new members of the House in the ways of the Dark Side and the rudimentary lessons of lightsaber combat. While a position of great honor and a good place for Dark Jedi within Plagueis to gain insight toward the duties of a Plagueian Rollmaster, the Taskmaster position conveys no actual privileges or powers onto the member holding it, save any privileges granted by the House Summit.
History
During its early years, the fledgling Clan Plagueis lost many Journeymen to insufficient Masters, infighting, and often outright murder by enraged Elders, Equites, and even higher-ranked Journeymen. While notably hurting the Clan, these losses were oft ignored by its Summit - seen as traditional or too minor to be of consequence, most Leaders allowed the trend to continue and some even favored it as a method of "cleaning house". As a result, many of the Clan's younger, more-talented members were lost before they could even enter conflict, a factor that undoubtedly contributed to the Clan's Reform to House status.
Furios, first Taskmaster of Plagueis.
One of the initial Quaestors of the remade Ascendant House, Kal di Plagia Vorrac, saw this fact; he himself had lived under such circumstances, with only past experience as an assassin, his Master, and several other Journeymen who he won over allowing him to survive into the Equite ranks. As an immediate solution, Vorrac reorganized Plagueis's version of the Master-Student Program, dividing the House's members into Masters, Students, and Prospects. Wholesale violence and unmitigated attacks were no longer permitted against Journeymen, though their individual Masters would not be penalized if they somehow died in training - though the murder rates went down, several inferior Journeymen still met their deaths at the end of extreme training sessions or sparring duels with real lightsabers.
The Masters of the House, appointed to the title by the Quaestor and kept under the watchful eye of the Ascendant Rollmaster, would brutally and unforgivingly instruct their Students in the arts of the Dark Side. This reformed the training process from a random sequence of events, often driven by the unprepared Journeymen themselves, into an organized and well-ordered process that would weed out the weak and bring forth Dark Jedi worthy of the cause of Plagueian Ascension.
Even so, the Prospects of the House - those too weak to truly call themselves Students of the Dark Side - lacked true instruction, alongside several Students who were not selected by Masters. This phenomenon was foreseen by Vorrac, who created the position of Taskmaster to address the problem. The Taskmaster - a Dark Jedi of great power and experience - would take all of the Prospects and unassigned Students of the House under their wing, teaching them the basic lessons of the Dark Side and preparing them for the ways of the Brotherhood and House Plagueis. Following the clearing of the Temple of Plagueis Upper Tier by Primus Pilus, the area was assigned by Tra'an Reith, one of Vorrac's successors as Quaestor, as the training center where the Master-Student Program of Plagueis would take place.
Following Furios and Jaek Aralias in the position, Vorrac himself became the third Taskmaster of Plagueis. Under his Sith ways and his brutal doctrine, the Temple became many things - a forge for Knights of power, a home for wayward galactic citizens, and for several weaker or inadequate Journeyman, a place of demise. Vorrac still serves this role today, pending replacement by a new Taskmaster at the Summit's decision.
Formation
The Taskmaster position was originally a part of the Rule of Two Program devised by Kal for Clan Plagueis, planned to be implemented first in House Satal Keto, where Vorrac held command. However, due to administrative gaps in the Clan Summit and disagreements among the Leaders of House Exar Kun, the completed program never came to fruition and was left amongst many unused files when House Plagueis was Reformed. Following his appointment to the Quaestor position therein, Kal spent several months improving Plagueis' systems and policies, gathering an active member base before instating his Program in a new, House-revised format: The Plagueian Path.
As both a part of the Rule of Two Program and the Plagueian Path, the Taskmaster was designed to bridge the gap of time until the Grind Path project was completed - specifically, it was meant to instruct members at the ranks of Apprentice, Novice, and Proselyte, who were not yet eligible for Masters in Plagueis. However, its duties were expanded by Tra'an Reith, incorporating all Master-free Journeymen and taking such duties off the hands of the Rollmaster, who would be free to handle the process of approving Masters for the Path, keeping in touch with said Masters, and assigning Master-Student Pairings.
Furios was first appointed to the newly forged Taskmaster post, though his time there would be short due to real-life constraints. He was then replaced by Jaek, who contacted many Prospects. During this experimental time, as a position that was new and unprecedented, Aralias' duties were often adjusted and his methods revised. When Aralias replaced Vorrac as Quaestor, the position would be left empty and would fall into disuse. It wasn't until Jaek's soon-after resignation that Tra'an Reith revived the position, appointing Vorrac to it. Following this, the methods of the position stabilized and its ways were set in stone.
Duties
A Dark Jedi in the Taskmaster position has the following duties:
- Contact all Journeymen who pass the Test of Lore and introduce them to the Brotherhood's first steps.
- Keep in touch with all Journeymen not assigned to Masters on a regular basis, to encourage activity.
- Define the MAA-Approved Promotion Guidelines to Journeymen upon joining Plagueis or being Promoted, and additionally afterward whenever necessary.
- Help Journeymen to locate important website faculties including, but not limited to, the Shadow Academy, Message Forum, DJBWiki, Antei Combat Center, Competition Center, and IRC Guide.
- Keep the House Summit aware of Journeyman concerns, questions, complaints, and ideas.
- Mediate Journeyman disputes whenever possible, and forward disputes beyond their ability to the Summit.
- Promote Journeyman activity and run competitions to engage them and familiarize them with the Brotherhood, pending Summit approval.
- Inform the House Summit when a Journeyman is ready for Promotion, including written Promotion Requests whenever possible.
- Maintain the ideals, identity, and focus of Plagueis in Journeyman instruction, both through real-life conduct and fictional writings.
- Inform the House Summit on any and all changes to Taskmaster Methods, and seek approval where large changes are made.
In addition, when Leadership experience is not already present in Plagueian Taskmasters, they will keep in touch with the Rollmaster to learn about the methods of managing the Master-Student Program and teaching future Taskmasters - in effect, this unofficial position will serve as a sort of training course for the Rollmaster position within Plagueis, and will be considered as such by the Summit should applications to said position be presented. Ultimately, though, whether this has any real bearing on the appointment of a Rollmaster will largely depend on the Dark Council's decision.
Mantle of the Taskmaster
The Mantle of the Taskmaster is a piece of equipment worn by the Taskmaster during all training sessions - it is the symbol of their position, something that shows their authority over Journeyman and symbolizes their cause. The Mantle is seen as a great honor and, as an act of symbolism, is custom-made for each Taskmaster and lain upon their shoulders by the Quaestor in the Temple of Plagueis. The ceremony consists of the Taskmaster entering the Temple's Ceremonial Chamber, where he will kneel before the Quaestor and be bestowed the Mantle; following this, he will stand and turn to the Journeymen in the Temple, who will bow their heads in deference to their new instructor.
The term "Mantle" holds a dual meaning - while it refers to the physical Mantle worn by the Taskmaster, the word is also used as a byword for the position itself, and in regard to its placement, transference, and removal. For example, those talking about someone gaining or losing the Taskmaster post would refer to them being "Granted the Mantle" or "having the Mantle stripped" from them. In fact, the term "Stripped Mantle" has come to be a common name for dismissed Taskmasters, those who were removed from the post rather than stepping down. This is done for various reasons, from inactivity to inappropriate behavior, but is always founded. The term Stripped Mantle also has a double-meaning; unlike those of Taskmasters who Ascend in position or are forced to honorably resign, the actual Mantles of those removed from the position are publicly destroyed.
The Temple of Plagueis, site of Taskmaster tutelage.
The Mantle is, by tradition, a short cape made of black fabric - simplicity is stressed in its design. Upon the black fabric will be the symbol of House Plagueis, large and in the color of the Taskmaster's Order. A durasteel chain will be attached to the cape to fasten it, typically without customization. That said, certain Taskmasters will make small adjustments and extrapolations to their Mantles, replacing their chains with different materials or clasps, cutting the fabric to different shapes or styles, and adding small touches like embroidered symbols, tassels, and even patches to it. Large-scale changes to the design, and even its replacement, by Taskmasters must be approved by the Quaestor; this trend, when prevalent, can result in different styles of cloak, different-colored Plagueis insignias, and even different pieces of clothing or armor constituting a Taskmaster's Mantle.
Following the honorable resignation of a Taskmaster, his or her Mantle is displayed in the Ceremonial Chamber, hanging on the walls of the round room like small tapestries and accompanied by small plaques engraved with their respective Taskmaster's name.
Trivia
- The Taskmaster position was created as part of the Rule of Two Program to teach APP-ACO members in lieu of the Grind Path.
- The Temple of Plagueis, the Mantle of the Taskmaster, and the inclusion of Journeyman-wide teachings were all changes made to the position afterward to improve its role and flesh out its fictional uses.
- Prior to Furios' appointment, many people were considered for the Taskmaster role, but declined it or were decided against due to RL constraints, Summit decisions, or other considerations. It is a position requiring great cooperation and maturity.
- For posterity's sake, it is stated again that this is neither a position of true power nor an official position; it holds no place equal to or above anyone in the Dark Council-approved chain of command and is meant only to teach and to learn.
- While certain Taskmasters use certain weaponry and techniques in the fictional description of their methods - an example being Kal's whip - these are purely character devices and can be changed by the Taskmaster whenever he or she wants.